Flying high: Bad weather breaks to give thousands at Cape Air Show an eyeful

The first two planes went looping up into the sky to open the 2016 Cape Girardeau Air Show at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

They curled and dove in unison as thousands watched from several locations in and around Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

But while the RedLine Aerobatic team was impressive, the sight of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds cruising in out of the distance was awe-inspiring.

Parents poked their children, directing their eyes skyward each time the demonstration squadron carved past the crowd.

Locked in impeccable alignment, they moved like a single object around the sky, a half-second ahead of their engines’ roar.

Zeke Flaim, 2, takes a look at a 1946 Beechcraft D-18S on display Wednesday during the Cape Girardeau Air Show at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.Glenn Landberg

Between stunts, patrons milling about had plenty of other sights to keep them occupied. They could get up close to a silver Lamborghini and black Ferrari that later drag-raced across the tarmac (the Lamborghini won) or look at antique aircraft.

But the Snowbirds’ antics kept most of the crowd engaged.

Maj. Indira Thackorie, public-affairs officer for the Snowbirds, said the aircraft, CT-114 Tutors, were built in the 1960s and remain perfect for the Snowbirds’ routines.

“It’s perfect for an accurate and precision-oriented performance,” she said, as two pilots performed a “cross” maneuver just 300 feet in the air.

In one of their more daring stunts, two pilots flew directly at each other until at the last possible moment, then listed sideways and passed within feet of each other.

Members of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly in formation during a performance Wednesday at the Cape Girardeau Air Show at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.Glenn Landberg

It was enough to flip the stomach of a viewer on the ground.

“And they’re experiencing negative [G-force] when they do that cross, so they’re feeling that feeling, too,” Thackorie said.

In formation, she said, the planes’ wingtips are only 4 feet apart, which means the pilots’ skill and focus have almost no margin for error.

“You have to be the very best of the best,” she said. “These pilots have to have a tremendous amount of flight hours on this particular aircraft, and it’s a tremendous honor to be part of the team.”

Thackorie said the Snowbirds like to do shows such as the Cape Girardeau Air Show because they get to meet more people than they would in a big city.

Members of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds make their way across the runway after their performance Wednesday at the Cape Girardeau Air Show at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.Glenn Landberg

“You can really get up close and personal with people,” she said.

After the Snowbirds, the Canadian skydiving team, the SkyHawks, were up.

Their carrier plane flew over the crowd at only about 6,000 feet, much lower than a typical skydive, and passed behind a cloud.

When it emerged, a single red canopy trailed behind it, then another and another.

The skydivers, with canopies opened, came together, grabbed hold of each other in a “Canadian T” formation and unfurled a 450-square-foot American flag behind them as they glided down to land. Several more waves of jumpers performed similar open-canopy stunts with smoke.

They hardly could have asked for a prettier backdrop, as the fickle weather had broken to form giant, sun-drenched clouds after periods of thunderstorms the past couple of days.

During the air show less than 50 miles away, severe storms rumbled through Perry County, Missouri.

“We’re really grateful the skies opened up for us,” Thackorie said.

“It looked pretty dismal this morning, but it turned out great.”

Attendees such as Perryville, Missouri, residents Dave Melchior and his family sounded just as grateful.

“It was great,” he said, adding his favorite part had been the Canadian teams, but he couldn’t choose between them.

“Both the Skyhawks and the parachuters were fantastic,” he said.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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